Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1887-06-02
PECULIAR PEOPLE.
A Singular Sect With Antiquarian
Notions About Forms of Worship
and Dress.


CANTON, O., May 20.-The annual
national conference of the German Bap-
tist or as it is better known as the
"Dunkard" church began its session
here to-day. The meeting was held in
a grove near town and a large crowd
was present. Dinner was provided on
the grounds forall who attended. There
are three divisions of the Dunkard
church known as the Old Order, COnser-
vatives and Progressive. 1t is the Old
Order in session here. They are the
old original church, and hold very
tenaciously to all the antiquarian
ideas as to modes of worship and dress,
and have the least advancement and
progress about them of any known
denomination. They are exceedingly
clannish, and isolate themselves from
all fellowship with other communions.
They are very close communists, allow
ing no one to commune with them who
does not belong to their church. They
hold their communion service at night,
denouncing the idea that supper could
be held at MONDAY as being unscript-
ural. Their leading and almost only
book on theology is the Bible.
Their mode of worship is very crude
and simple. They call their ministers
speakers. They eat what is known as
the passover, which is composed ofsoup
made of beef meat. They have large
bowls out of which six or eight will eat
at once. They have long tables, and
these bowls are strung along at conven-
lent distances, which makes their man
ner of indulging in such sacred feast
very repulsive to the enlightened and
fastidious tastes of nonparticipants. Af-
ter the feast these Dunkards indulge in
what they term the holy kiss-man
kissing man and woman kissing wo-
man. Then the men wash one anoth-
er's feet and the women go through the
same ceremony, after which preaching
goes on.
Their sin of sins in their preaching is
pride. They denounce pride in every.
thing, and especially dress. while at the
same time they are most fastidiously
and uniformly dressed. Every coat
dress, hat and bonuet is fashioned alike
Their styles never change, and they
pride themselves on their antediluviar
manner of dress. They pride themselves
that they are not proud. They nevel
engage in any mechanical professional
business pursuit, and discourage every
thing of the kind. They even memo
their own shoes, make their own ak
handles and avoid as much as possible
everything that is outside of farming
They do not go to law to settle dis
putes among themselves, and they arr
never found as paupers in any public
institution. They are very frugal ant
industrious and husband their mean
closely. They are q very clean peo
pie and it is rare, if ever, one of then
is convicted of crime. They are q YER
humane people, especially in takin
care of stock. A large barn we'll file
with grain is a prominent feature to b
seen on their farms. They never hav
hearse at q funeral; their dead an
conveyed to their last resting place in
road wagon and they never wea
mourning. They are opposed to secre
organization and never are movers i
public improvement. While they ar
a good class of people and are not ag
gressive, their ideas of dress, worship an
their slow, ,plodding ways are not adapte
to this age of enlightenment and &C
aheadativeness,a and the day is not far dis
tant when they will pass away and be re
membered only for their eccentricitie
They never vote at elections and do nc
permit member to hold any publ
office. There are no pictures or deco
rations of any kind found on the wall
of their houses. They wear no jewelr
and their clothing is made very plai
material. There is very little know
of the Dunkards outside. of their ow
, immediate surrounding; they do nc
endeavor to promulgate their doctrine
through authors or papers, they see
eXclcsiveness and seclusion; there al
none of them that contribute to iters
ture, and there has never been know
to be an inventor among them.